Perhaps it comes as no surprise but now we've got the research to prove it: you look more attractive when you sleep well.

In a small new study published September 15 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, scientists have found that several months of quality sleep -- that is, sleep not interrupted by sleep apnea, heaving snoring, or other breathing issues -- made participants look younger and more attractive.

Researchers at the University of Michigan say that they are the first to use a scientific face-measuring system dubbed photogrammetry to objectively measure the youthfulness and attractiveness of 20 subjects who were being treated for sleep apnea.

Digital photos of the subjects' faces were taken with a high-precision three-dimensional camera before and after at least two months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, the gold standard treatment for sleep apnea involving wearing a sleep mask to help keep the breathing airway opening.

Then, 22 volunteers -- a mix of medical professionals and regular folks -- viewed the images paired side-by-side in random order and rated them for alertness, youthfulness and attractiveness. For the majority of subjects, the judges ranked the "after" image more attractive and younger than the "before" shot. "Image analysis also found post-treatment decreases in forehead surface volume, which may reflect changes in nightly fluid shift, and decreased redness under the eyes and over the cheeks," the researchers wrote.

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Head researcher Dr. Ronald Chervin said the study results could be motivational for the millions of people who have sleep apnea. In the US alone, it is estimated that up to 18 million adults suffer from untreated obstructive sleep apnea, a serious illness that can increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and other ailments.

"This may help convince patients to use their CPAP machines on a nightly basis," he said.

A separate Swedish study announced earlier this month found that sleep-deprived people do in fact look rough, with redder, more swollen eyes, darker under-eye circles, more wrinkles and droopier eyelids and mouths than their well-rested selves. People also looked sadder when sleep-deprived than after a normal sleep, and this apparent sadness was related to looking fatigued, said the University of Stockholm researchers.